Hopeful Seeking
by btamamura
Summary: Lately, Caboose keeps trying to find the moon. What's the real reason behind his actions?


**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Red vs. Blue or the characters. They are the property of RoosterTeeth, etc._

**Notes: **_**I can't help writing bonding fics for Wash and Caboose. They're two of my fave characters, and I can't help but like the idea of Wash minding Caboose while Caboose helps make him feel welcome in their team in his own way.**_

_**I avoided too many swears this time, so the warning isn't necessarily existent this time. But, there's a touch of Caboose angst thrown in. Anyway...enjoy!**_

It had been a frequent occurence lately, Wash noted as he watched the Blue rookie look to the sky as if searching for something.

He'd asked Tucker, but the other soldier just shrugged and passed it off as a normal Caboose thing...which would not be normal to most other humans.

The only one who would be able to tell him anything would be the man himself, and so, Wash decided to approach the rookie sitting atop Blue base.

Caboose continued staring into the sky, his eyes flitting back and forth. He was so focused, he didn't even hear the newest addition to their team approach him from behind.

Wash cleared his throat. "Caboose."

He slowly averted his gaze from the sky, instead focusing it on the former Freelancer. "Hi, Washing Machine!"

A slight roll of the eyes. "Hi. What are you doing up here?"

"Just looking."

"Are you looking for something in particular?"

"The moon."

"Why the moon? You know we never experience night here."

"I know, but I've heard that the moon can be seen at certain times through the day."

He blinked at Caboose's response, it sounded...smart. "Why are you looking for the moon?"

"It's been a long time since I'd seen it."

"The moon?"

"Home."

_Oh, that's right! He was born on the moon!_ Wash had read the personnel files on the simulation soldiers he was to meet back when seeking information about dealings with A.I., such as Omega. He'd seen in Caboose's file, without looking too deeply at personal details, that the young soldier had been born on the moon. "Are you feeling homesick?"

"Maybe. I dunno. I was just talking with Donut earlier, and he said something that made me think of my sisters."

"How long ago is _earlier_?"

"Long ago."

_Ah. So, it was a conversation with Donut that sparked this recent behaviour._

Caboose looked to the sky again, still seeking the moon. His scruffy, blond hair was swayed by a gentle breeze passing by.

"How many sisters do you have? Any brothers? Oh, wait. You told me you didn't when we first met."

"I did? I don't remember saying anything about my family."

"You did. You thought I'd come to tell you someone in your family had died. You asked about your brother, only to say you didn't have one."

"Oh. Oh yeah, I remember. That was when that guy shot himself in the back after untying me."

"Um...yeah."

"Well, I have no brothers. But, I have a lot of sisters."

"How many?"

"A lot."

"Give me a number."

"I don't have one."

"No. I mean say the number of sisters you have."

"The number of sisters I have."

_I won't kill him, I won't kill him._ He turned away. "I'll leave you to your home-seeking now." He made his way off the roof.

"Seventeen," Caboose whispered to himself as he continued seeking out his home.

"Dude, he still up there?" Tucker asked as he grabbed himself some food.

"Yes, still."

"What the hell is he doing?"

"Just looking for something." He finished eating his apple and cast a glance upwards. "Normally, Caboose would be down by now."

"Did you say something to him?"

"I don't think I did..."

"Wash, you're gonna have to be the one to get him. You know what he's like when I try to get him to do something."

"Yeah, I do." He threw the core into the waste disposal unit and made his way out of the mess hall.

Caboose was still standing there, still looking up at the sky.

"You know, you're lucky this is a day of truce, otherwise I'm sure the Reds would've tried shooting you by now," Wash commented lightly as he approached the young blond. "Come on, it's time to have something for dinner."

"Do you..."

"Hm?"

"No. Nothing."

"Caboose, is something wrong?"

"Do you think we'll all be able to see our families again?"

"I..." He sighed. "I really can't say. The Project is over, so why are you all still here?"

"You too."

"It's not like I can go back to see my family. If you knew you'd miss them, why did you sign up for the military?"

"It was an oopsie."

"An...oopsie?"

"Yeah. I wanted to study in France. But, I went to the wrong place and whoops, I found myself here."

"Study? In France?" He wasn't familiar with the previous Caboose, the naive young man who was not as simple-minded as he currently was.

"Yeah." He smiled slightly and looked at Wash. "But, it's okay. I've made lots of friends since coming here."

"Weren't you originally stationed elsewhere? Oh. You mean since joining the military in general."

"Where's General?"

He chuckled slightly. "Come on, Caboose, let's go and get something for you to eat, huh?"

"Okay." He cast one final glance to the sky, and still no sign of his home. He followed Wash off the roof.

During their slumber hours, Wash heard some noises coming from Caboose's room. Or rather, leaving Caboose's room. He sighed and sat up, running his hand through his short, platinum-blond hair and let out a slight yawn. "What's he doing now?" He rose to his feet and followed the sound of Caboose's footsteps.

He couldn't say he was surprised that Caboose was back on the roof, still gazing at the sky. "Caboose, you should be asleep."

"But, when we sleep, it's night-time, and at night-time, you can see the moon." His voice was a little sad. "But, I can't see it."

"We don't get night here, Caboose. You know that." He moved to sit beside him. "You really should be asleep now. If you're tired when we're in battle tomorrow, you could get injured or killed. None of us wants that."

"Okay."

"Then, let's go."

He shook his head slightly. "Not yet. I want to see if I can find the moon."

"You can't see it though, no matter how much you want to." He clapped a hand on the rookie's shoulder, and was a little surprised to feel it tremble. "Caboose...?"

"Church and I did this a lot too. Look for the moon. He found it one time. Maybe it's gone because he is too..."

Oh. So, it wasn't so much about trying to find the moon after all. He'd been so distracted by the talk about families and homes that he missed the real point. It was about missing Church, and the thought that if he could see the moon, it meant Church would come back. "So, that's it."

He nodded and hung his head. "If I see the moon, then maybe it means I'll see Church. I miss him, Wash..."

"I know you do. But, that's not how it works. The moon didn't vanish because Church has gone."

"So...even if I find the moon...Church won't come back...?"

The heartbroken tone in Caboose's voice made Wash smack himself mentally. _Way to steal the kid's hope, asshole!_ He awkwardly wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Don't think like that. Someday, I'm sure Church will come back. Then, you can both try to find the moon together again."

He sniffed. "You think so?" He looked to Wash, revealing tears in his eyes.

He nodded sympathetically. "I do. Church will come back again. You'll see." If just the hope of seeing him again made the rookie happy, who was he to stomp on it and keep him from believing?

He sniffed again and smiled slightly. "Okay. You're right. Church will come back."

"That's better." He moved his arm so he could ruffle Caboose's hair, smiling when he heard the rookie chuckle. "But, for now, it's time we all slept, okay?"

"Okay, Washing Powder!"

Another chuckle. He got to his feet and helped Caboose stand while the rookie rubbed at his blue eyes with the back of his arm. "Come on, let's go."

"Okay!"

Wash was a little satisfied to know that Caboose had stopped trying to seek out the moon following their little talk.

"Um, Wash? There's a fire that I don't know how it started."

"Of course, sometimes I'd prefer he do that than cause trouble," he muttered as he went to put out the new random fire Caboose somehow started.


End file.
